‘The criticism that fashion and clothing are deceptive has two aspects. The first is that fashion and clothing are in the business of dressing something up as something else, that they take the body and disguise it or present it as something it is not.’^[1]

This small extract from Fashion as Communication by Malcolm Bernard outlines a belief that fashion is a form deception, can act as a facade and hides the truth about the body and how it is seen by others.

I mainly disagree with this idea presented in Fashion as Communication as I believe fashion is consistently used as a form of self-expression and identity and without it, the world would be very bland and diversity amongst people and cultures would be limited. People choose how to dress as a method of portraying what kind of person they are and what they believe in (religiously and morally) through self-expression in the style, colour and shape of the clothes/garments they wear. I.e. wearing a dress/skirt to show femininity or tracksuits to show an interest in sport/fitness or even just a general appreciation for comfort and easy living (athleisure wear). “fashion provides one of the most ready means through which individuals can make expressive visual statements about their identities”^[2]. Fashion is trivial for self-expression amongst most, if not all in society; regardless of age, gender or societal class. Everyone wakes up in the morning and selects an item of clothing they own for a reason even if they may not realise it. Expression through clothing is simple and usually subconsciously noted as it is such a huge part of the modern culture with social media like Instagram being a social staple, especially for the younger generation and new genre of designers.

To counteract this view, I somewhat agree that fashion can be a form of deception and ‘dressing something up as something else’. For an example, businessmen/women wear suits to present themselves as very put together, smart, someone of a middle to upper social class, wealthy and successful whereas anyone can appear as if they possess these attributes by merely selecting clothes that support this stereotype. Behind the suit, they may be having financial struggles, poor living conditions, family problems etc. Clothing does escalate the issue of not judging a book by its cover as it acts as another means to do so. Effectively, a homeless man could deceive the rest of society by having a sharp appearance and by wearing a suit as people would be none the wiser to his life beyond his appearance.

It can also disguise the body which is both positive and negative. It can offer support for those not comfortable in their bodies or wanting to hide a deformity, scar etc. However, it can also act as a shield for those with mental disorders affecting their health like eating disorders or self-harm.

Alternatively, most things can be seen as a form of deception; make-up, media, photographs, advertisements etc. “Our mission in Vogue’s fashion pictures is to inspire and entertain while showing the clothes created by many highly talented designers. They are created with this intention in mind, not to represent reality”.^[3] So singling out fashion as something that takes the body and proceeds to ‘present it as something else’ seems far-fetched as photoshopped images appear everywhere and are of greater influence and risk on the perception of the body to people than fashion might be.

Bibliography

[1] Bernard M. [1996] 2^nd Edition, Fashion as Communication, USA, Routledge

[2] Bennett A. (2005), Culture and Everyday Life, London, SAGE Publications Ltd. [Page 84 via E-book]

[3] Milligan L. (2013), The Myths Behind The Image, available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/vogue-school-film-image-making-alexandra-shulman [accessed 24^th November 2017]

The image for Duncan Quinn is to advertise suits but instead gives a poor message and reflection of their brand. A half-naked, strangled woman lying on top of the car whilst the man holds the rope presents the public with a more hostile, violent message and raises many ethical and moral concerns amongst people that may see it.

Firstly, it promotes violence, murder and abuse as the male is shown looking very powerful, in-control and accomplished whilst the woman lay there humiliated, barely clothed and presented dead. The image initially comes off rather sadistic and It may influence other gentlemen to assume this is appropriate behaviour due to it being publicly shown to support and represent a luxury and expensive brand. Suits are also mainly aimed at men so the poor message presented here is being directly marketed and presented to them. This idea of male domination over women and inequality is very old fashioned and is not well renowned or accepted in modern society so would cause quite an uproar if this was an element or image they wished to hold onto in further advertisements and presentation of their company/brand.

This image may also be very offensive to women. It depicts women as weak and controlled by men almost like slaves in both a sexual way and in society also. Although equality between sexes has come a long way since the times of The Suffragettes, there is still discrimination and inequality present; women are paid a lower wage in addition to the verbal abuse and disrespect received daily from men usually but other women also. The image is also very objectifying to women and is promoting inequality further by sexualising something that does not to be sexualised in order to promote the brand. “All history attests that man has subjected women to his will, used her as a means to promote his selfish gratification, to minister his sensual pleasures, to be instrumental in promoting his comfort” – Sarah Grimke^[1] This quote summarises the general message and feel of the image; a woman is being subjected in an advertisement to selfishly promote something towards men I.e. the suit. the advertisement also appealing to a sexual nature due to the woman being posed slightly provocatively and also barely clothed with no reasoning behind it/for it other than to appeal to men.

The idea that ‘sex sells’ is overused, outdated and unoriginal. It doesn’t really work as a ‘promotional’ feature in this advertisement especially as there is hardly a focus on the suit due to the distraction brought by the composition and sexual theme. People are unlikely to acknowledge the suit or respond to the brand positively due to this grotesque scene. It is very old fashioned and stuck in its way through the use of styling and composition in the image; it presents the brand as very sexist, violent and a believer in inequality which is not positive brand publicity.

Bibliography

[1] Lerner G, (1993), The Creation of Feminist Consciousness: From the Middle Ages to Eighteen-seventy, USA, Oxford University Press [page 162]

 

 

Throughout this module, I enjoyed most tasks set and found them all very useful as well as educational. They were academically challenging, interesting and taught very useful skills for research and writing. Although I did not enjoy them all, they provided me with new skills and knowledge relevant to the course which is also helpful for the future in studio practice as well as RCS.

The tasks have definitely improved my ability to research as well as shown me new ways to seek out sources and ensure they are reliable. The Online Resources task, as well as the Academic Integrity and Plagiarism task, really pushed me to seek sources and information elsewhere, through books and articles rather than relying on websites and other virtual sources. They have shown me not to rely on the internet to seek relevant information/inspiration for my work, even if it is easier and potentially faster. I have been incorporating this idea of varying my sources throughout my practical work and design project by looking for references in books, articles and also trying to find inspiration in sources like documentaries. Using greater sources also means my research is more in-depth rather than brief meaning plagiarism is unlikely due to my inspiration coming from a variety of places.

The visual research task I initially found challenging but very useful as it really pushed me to read beyond an image and really study something to interpret a meaning/inspiration. This skill would be very useful for the future as I would easily be able to unpack a collection by a designer that I like and easily find their inspiration/meaning behind it and perhaps use it to influence my own work and discover something new. This is also relevant to the Ethical Issues task as it really allowed me to deconstruct an image in order to pinpoint various meanings and messages as well as learn for the future in the industry what to be aware of when publicising my brand and advertising my work to the mass public. It gave me the ability to use a reflective eye as well as to debate and discuss with others what their thoughts and opinions were about a matter/ proposed image in the lecture which I found very interesting.

The Reflective Writing task I found the most challenging out all the tasks, however it was once again very thought provoking and pushed me to think and write academically as well as view both sides of an argument and varying opinions inbetween. I struggled most with the initial understanding of the text so it really deterred me from doing the task as I mentally was blocked and always tried to avoid the task. It took me a while to figure out a method that worked best for me but once I understood the writing and what they were discussing in the texts, I found it very easy to complete the task using skills I have learned or grown in previous tasks.

Overall, I have found this module very enlightening and useful in regards to my practical projects; the RCS tasks have pushed me to seek out various sources for references and inspiration as well as consider varying opinions between people by also considering ethics in regards to imagery as well as work.

Christopher Kane’s Pre-Fall 2016 collection was inspired by elements and design features he had used previously from past collections: Graduate collection 2006, S/S 2011, S/S 2013, A/W 2013 & A/W 2014.

This photograph is a dress from Kane’s SS13 collection, made using gaffer tape and bright coloured fabrics like organza, influenced slightly by punk, to give a ‘Frankenstein’ vibe to his collection. I think this image and collection is showing a contrast of hard and soft in both colour and material within the garments. Perhaps to contrast the typical feminine silhouette and style of cocktail dresses with something more abnormal and abstract to give his collection his own personal flare and to perhaps push the boundaries of femininity in silhouettes and garments. These are elements I am glad he took into his Pre-fall 2016 collection as he once again plays around with bold colours and materials whilst creating some more androgynous silhouettes; similar to the style of David Bowie and general 60’s/70’s fashion. He may be playing with symbolism; materials symbolising how traditional views of style and clothing are barely being held together and are being torn apart by modern, groundbreaking designers such as him. In conclusion, I think the way in which Christopher Kane uses old design features in new inventive ways is very inspirational and something I admire about his work and as it can be hard to do so without making your collections look identical. I also love his play on colour and materials which I enjoy doing in my own work.

 

Bibliography

[1] Mower S.(2016) Vogue: Pre-Fall 2016 Christopher Kane, available from: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/pre-fall-2016/christopher-kane [accessed 31st October 2017]

[2] Blanks T. (2012), Vogue: Spring 2013 Ready-To-Wear Christopher Kane, available from: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2013-ready-to-wear/christopher-kane/slideshow/collection#38 [accessed 31st October 2017)

I chose this book as I felt it perfectly linked with the theme that I chose in task 1/2 and is still a topic of fashion history that I’d love to explore and learn more about so I felt this task was a great segway for starting to do so. An image of Twiggy wearing a sporty shift dress^[1] stood out to me as it instantly reminded me of the influence on today’s fashion and trends; the sporty stripes and shift dresses and colour blocking theme throughout. Wanting to expand my knowledge on what other trends from the 60’s were popular again today, I went online to search for more information. I discovered that many staple clothing items that nearly everyone of today own, are trends from the 60’s. These include mini skirts, knee-high boots, military style, leopard print and patterned tights^[2].

Many of these trends are items I possess myself so the discovery of this was very enlightening. Finally, I looked for an article relevant to this idea and found one that related the 60’s style comebacks to fashion designers for the modern era like Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Christopher Kane and Topshop Unique. There was also a mention of 60’s style influence on the pop culture of now through the mention of the TV show ‘Mad Men’^[3].This is an element I also want to look further into; the 60’s influence on not only fashion but also styling and setting of music videos & TV shows etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

[1] Sokolsky M., Muir R., and Pepper T. (2009) Twiggy: A Life in Photographs, St. Martin’s Place: National Portrait Gallery Publications, Page 38

[2] Sammy Davis (2012), 10 Ways the 1960’s Invented Today’s Fashion Trends, Sammy D Vintage, available from: http://sammydvintage.com/vintage-style/60s/fashion-in-the-1960s/ (Accessed 23^rd October 2017)

[3] Armstrong L. (2013), The 1960’s: The decade of fashion that never went away, The Telegraph, 23^rd February, Page 1

 

I chose this image of David Bowie because it inspired me through the strong use of colour blocking in his signature design on his face. His abundant use of colour and pattern in his makeup and clothing throughout his career works well with my interests due to the same themes that I also like to use in my own work. This is probably why I feel it stuck out to me the most and peaked my interest in searching further and doing more research on this topic. It stimulated thoughts and themes of the 60’s for me, particularly fashion, which is what I chose to look into and research further; mainly the concept of 60’s fashion and trends influencing the modern day trends.

This is where my research then uncovered the SS13 collection by Fay which also incorporated a bold use of colour blocking as a theme throughout her collection, connecting my thought process back to the Bowie image and the culture of the time it was taken. The Bowie image was more than likely influenced by 60’s trends also, due to the image only being taken in the early 70’s where the ‘Mod’ trend was still very apparent and popular amongst the general public. There is also a very apparent use of 60’s/70’s garment silhouettes and styling also; the use of A-line as well as the big, volumised hair. The V&A museum’s website gave a brief introduction to 60’s fashion and outlined some key influencers and designers of trends and fashion of the time e.g. Mary Quant. It proved somewhat handy to my research as it gave me a look at the original and historic 60’s clothing and trends. However, not many images of the collection were available to view online, limiting my research for now but sparking my interest for a potential visit in the future to expand my understanding of the theme and learn more about the history of the trends. This would then enable me to discuss and evaluate my topic further. My research turned up many other sources and images relevant to my thought process and topic so it provides me with plenty of other potential sources I could use to take this concept further in the future; be this through books, videos, pop culture and other designers work/collections. Through this task, I have discovered many other resources I can use in the future as well as discovering how influential the 60’s/70’s were in trends, fashion and even pop culture then as well as now. I still feel my knowledge is limited in some aspects and would love to visit the 60’s collection at the V&A to learn more in order to aid my research as well as open my mind more to the influences ‘Mod’ and other trends gave to present day.

Bibliography

[1] Marsh G. and Broackes V. (2013), David Bowie Is, London, V&A Publications [Page 74]

[2] FMD (N/A), Fashion Models Directory, available from: http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/brands/fay/shows/2013/spring-summer/7272/cara-delevingne-137842/ [accessed 21st October 2017]

[3] V&A (N/A), Victoria & Albert Museum, available from: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/1960s-fashion [accessed 21st October 2017]